Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1887-03-12
MARCH II. 1887.
WASHINGTON LETTER..
From Our Regular Correspondent.

Urn oAi At'Gstttf +'s- tef'"'S':cff.
WAu1NGToN. Feb. 26, 1887.
This is an area Of resignation in official
life in Washington. The secretary Of the
treasury is about to resign, tile United
States treasurer viii follow, the v~ice-pres-
ident pro TEN Of the senate resigned this
week, the commissioner Of patents will
resign during the coming month, Mr..
Matthews. the colored commissioner Of
deeds Of the District Of Columbia must re
sign, and with regard to some of these, at
least, the country is resigned to their res
ignation. Last but not least, the Forty
Ninth congress will resign at moor on the
4th Of March. Much work remains to be
done, several important Appropriation bills
have not been passed, but are only
half digested in committee; butduring the
next five days Of its life. Congress will
do in a hurried nd'imperfect manner the
work which should have been done DELHI
erately and carefully in the earlier days
of the session. In addition to the appro-
priation bills, there are a number Of i'm
portant public and private measures which
will be hurried thsou@li. if possible. But
with the vast number of bills occupying
prominent places upon the calendar. there
is hardly time enough to pass the applo-
priation bills, and it is probable that con
gress will hold several night sessions, and
also a Sunday session.
In the republican senatorial caucus, held
Thursday, it was stated with some post
iveness that a special session of the senate
would be called Immediately after the adj
journInent Of congress. 1t was said that
the president had intimated to leading
republican senators that he would call a
special session to act upon some treaties
and confirm some important nominations.
There is much speculation as to what
the president will do with the bill which
passed the house some days since and the
senate Thursday, creating a new cabinet
office, the department Of Agriculture. The
bill has been pending for some years. and
once passed both houses. but was vetoed
by President Arthur, Mr.. Hatch, chair
man of the agricultural COMMITTEES, and
other friends of the measure who have
talked with the president on the subject,
say he will sign the bill.
In case he does, it seems to be well cs-
tablished that Mr.. Hatch will desire to go
into the cabinet. and it is not improbable
that the president will recognize him.
Commissioner Of agriculture Coleman will
also expect to be promoted, The agricul-
turists have very generally petitioned for
the passage OF the bill, and upon this it is
argued that the president cannot, from a
political point of view, afford to disap-
prove the bill.
The weather service Of the United States
Signal Service Bureau is to be transferred
after July /, 1887, to the new department
of agriculture.
The question of who will be secretary |
of the treasury is as unsettled as ever.
According to the knowing ones, Minister
Pendleton and ex-AIayor Grace have about
equal chances of being selected, while
others are mentioned with nearly equal
frequency. 1t is positively asserted that
the Office has been offered to Representa-
tive Scott and to speaker Carlisle, and that
both declined it, the latter only last Sun
day. Those who think that an outsider
will be nominated hold that Mr.. Fairchild
sands 10 chance, because, if the president
had any idea of taking him into his cab
met he would probably have been nomin-
ated before this, and at any rate the pres
ident would not have found it necessary
to consider any other names in connection
with the matter. Mr.. Fairehild's friends,
the other hand, are firm i'll the belief
that he will be Mr.. Meanings successor,
and think that the president has not done
as much considering and consulting in the
as has been represented, and that
he will nominate his man before congress
adiourns.
Senator ingalls,, of Kansas, was on Sat
urday elected president pro tenn Of the
senate, in place of Mr. Sherman, resigned.
His election will result in increasing his